Vivo had made a lot of headlines at the MWC 2018 when it showcased its concept phone, Apex. What made the phone so special was its unprecedented >90% screen to body ratio and the innovative solutions that Vivo found to still include an earpiece and a front camera without having any notch whatsoever. Well, if you think that was the end to it, Vivo today unveiled its flagship Vivo NEX S (NEX ‘Ultimate’) and a mid-range variant called Vivo NEX A, both of which are based on the Apex concept phone and surprisingly enough, do carry most of the innovations on the concept phone to make them truly first-of-their-kind production smartphones. Let’s take a look at the specifications and what all is different.

Vivo NEX A vs Vivo NEX S: Design, Display

First things first, and probably the biggest USP for these phones is that stunning 91.24% screen-to-body ratio screen at the front, and unlike some other marketing gimmicks, (*ahem* Lenovo *ahem*) Vivo stayed true to what they promised. Both these phones feature a 6.59-inch AMOLED Ultra FullView display with 1080 x 2316 Full HD+ resolution and a 19.3:9 aspect ratio. The only difference being the Vivo NEX S features an in-display fingerprint scanner, whereas the Vivo NEX A makes do with a more conventional, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Vivo claims that the NEX S uses a 3rd Generation in-display fingerprint scanning technology that is claimed to offer 50% higher accuracy and 10% faster speeds. The display also acts as an earpiece and vibrates to produce sound, which Vivo claims is not only more convenient but also produces better sound quality.

Vivo NEX A vs Vivo NEX S: OS, Hardware Specifications

Hardware is where the differences between these devices shine bright. The Vivo NEX S is a true flagship boasting 8GB of RAM and either 128 or 256GB of internal storage. The Vivo NEX A features a modest Snapdragon 710 chipset, coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

On the software side, both these phones come with Android Oreo 8.1 out-of-the-box with Vivo’s custom FunTouch UI on top. The smartphones also comes with Vivo’s new Jovi AI assistant and have a dedicated button for the same, much like Samsung’s Bixby button. The Jovi AI assistant supports a host of exciting features like Natural Language Understand, Automatic Speech Recognition, Emotion Detection, Voice Wakeup, Text to Speech, Scene Recognition, Persona, and Computer Vision. In terms of connectivity, all variants support Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, and dual SIM 4G VoLTE. Powering both these devices is a massive 4000mAh battery. The Vivo NEX smartphones also comes with 7.1-channel 3D audio for an engaging gaming experience.

Vivo NEX A vs Vivo NEX S: Cameras

Both the NEX smartphones feature a 12MP + 5MP dual-camera setup on the back with an AI-powered HDR mode, AI scene recognition, AI filters, and DCI-P3 color gamut support. Vivo has gone with a 12MP Sony IMX363 primary sensor with 1.4um pixel size and an f/1.8 aperture. While the NEX A lacks OIS, the NEX S variants feature 4-axis optical image stabilisation.

On the front is where things get really interesting. The Vivo NEX smartphones feature a first-of-its-kind pop-up selfie camera which mechanically pops out and retracts from the top of the phone when you want to use the camera. The camera itself is an 8MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture and AI-powered face beauty modes.

Vivo NEX A vs Vivo NEX S: Price, Availability

Both these smartphones have been launched only in China for now and Vivo hasn’t released any info about their Global launch yet. But knowing the company’s history, Vivo will surely launch at least one of these phones in India in the coming months. The Vivo NEX A (Snapdragon 710 variant) has been priced at 3,898 yuan (Rs.41,000 approx.). The Vivo NEX S 128GB storage variant has been priced at 4,498 yuan (Rs.47,381), and then there is the 8GB RAM + 256GB variant of the NEX S, which has been priced at 4,998 yuan (Rs.52,648). These phones will be available in China from June 23.

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Having finished his Engineering, MBA and mid-life crisis, Rushil realized he’s really good at doling out info about smartphones and consumer tech. So now, he does that for a living. He gets excited whenever a new phone or gadget enters the office premise and takes it inside his studio to show it to the world. Catch him on MSP’s YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram at @kataakshvaani.